Lesson 1 | The Greek Verbal System
[1] Intro to Greek Verbs
Greek 1 teaches the basics of the non-verb parts of Koine Greek. Greek 2 introduces Greek verbs. Take some time to thank our Lord that he has helped us make it this far and ask him to help us keep learning.
As we learn Greek verbs, we will use the verb λύω as our paradigm verb. Greek verbs, like Greek nouns, change their form (inflect) to communicate different roles and functions. Here are a few examples of λύω in different forms (you do not need to memorize these).
As you look at this table, you should notice at least three things.
First, notice how many different forms there are. This is just a small sample of all the forms that one particular verb can take. So, like we did with nouns, we will not memorize the different forms of each verb. Instead, we will learn the basic elements of each tense-form. This will allow you to parse specific verbs in their NT context.
Second, notice the different color-coded elements of each verb form in this table. Do you notice any elements that stay the same? For λύω, the stem (λυ) stays the same in each of these different forms. Also, each form has a personal ending (red). These endings communicate the verb’s person and number. Do you notice any elements that change between the different forms? There are many differences, like the augment (green) at the beginning of some forms or the aspect marker (blue) in the middle of some forms or the reduplication (purple) at the beginning of others.
Third, note that each part of the verb form works to communicate something about the verb’s meaning. The stem communicates the verb’s lexical meaning, the augment communicates time, and the aspect marker communicates the specific tense-form.
Finite vs. Non-Finite Verbs
All of the examples in the table above are finite verbs. A finite verb has a built-in subject identified by the personal ending (red). In this course, we will be introducing non-finite verbs. Participles and infinitives are non-finite verbs. That is, they do not have a built-in subject. If they need a subject, it will come from another word in the sentence.
If you feel overwhelmed about all that there is to learn, that is okay. You do not need to remember everything right now. However, there are a few things that you need to learn now, which we'll go through in the next two steps.